(MENAFN- Gulf Times)
Former Pakistan cricket captain Mohammad Hafeez has called it a day. All good things come to an end, but it is given to a few sportspersons to time it well, and do so with grace. His retirement piece on Monday not only didn't miss out on the essentials of going out when there was still enough fuel left in the tank, but was just as impeccable for its quality of sign-off.
Hafeez turned up at his final presser at the Lahore's Gaddafi Stadium, the headquarters of Pakistan cricket, proudly wearing the national green blazer and a tie with the PCB emblem visible on it. More importantly, he chose his words wisely in a live broadcast to call time on an 18-year career.
The 41-year-old remains a popular figure and after playing 55 Tests, 218 ODIs and 119 T20Is, Hafeez drew instant acknowledgement from his peers, current and ex-Pakistan players, and connoisseurs around the world. Current Pakistan captain Babar Azam and former skippers Misbah Ul Haq, Younis Khan and Waqar Younis were among the first ones to wish him a happy retirement.
Debuting against Bangladesh in 2003 and scoring a 50 in only his second Test innings, Hafeez tapered off for three years soon afterwards but staged a strong comeback in 2006 at The Oval where he hit a quality 95. With a highest Test score of 224 against Bangladesh, Hafeez remained reliable at the top of the order as he amassed 3,652 runs with 10 centuries in his 55 Tests, the last one coming in late 2018. He developed his game well to become a vital cog in Pakistan's ODI plans as he played the shorter format for 16 years straight (2003-2019). Hafeez scored polished ODI centuries against the West Indies, England, India, Sri Lanka, Ireland and Zimbabwe with a highest of an unbeaten 140 in 2013 in Sharjah. His off-spin bowling was more than useful as he grabbed key wickets even with the new ball. Banned by ICC for having a kink in his action for a while, Hafeez rectified his flaws and resumed bowling for Pakistan within a year.
In the last six years of international cricket, Hafeez emerged as a blockbuster power-hitter for Pakistan in T20s and ODIs displaying powerful cameos at the crease. He smashed England in Nottingham for 84 at the 2019 ICC World Cup two summers ago and was declared the Man of the Match — a feat he achieved no less than 32 times in his illustrious career. But perhaps, he coveted a prized unbeaten 57 off just 37 deliveries against India in the Champions Trophy final at The Oval in 2017 when Pakistan emerged champions for its intrinsic value given that the team was written off after a stutter at the beginning of the tourney.
A fast-scoring willow-wielder in white-ball cricket, Hafeez developed this amazing ability to smash sixes (214 in all three formats) at the top of the order or whilst batting in the latter stages of an innings. Hafeez's match awareness was his strong point throughout his career. Playing primarily as a batsman, his decent off-spin bowling was wisely used by his captains in the shorter formats. A total of 392 international appearances for Pakistan puts him in the Top-10 for his country.
A highly skilled operator (he topped the ICC rankings for bowlers and all-rounders in August 2012 and January 2013), Hafeez also captained Pakistan briefly and played all T20 World Cup editions bar the 2009 version.
Never short of expert opinion on the park, at the pressers or talk shows or talk shows, Hafeez was famously coined 'The Professor' for his ingenuity. With a twitter family of 3.4 million, he will be in some demand for staying true to principled stances during his career — most notably, for calling out against allowing players convicted previously for match-fixing to represent the country again.
His retirement may well be an end of an era in Pakistan cricket but for Hafeez, the next chapter in life could well bring him back in a meaningful cricket role with the PCB given his competitive edge in the modern game.
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